Posted by Editoron November 17, 2016in Local News|Comments Off on Immigrant Leaders Call on Rauner to Advance Pro-Immigrant “Illinois is Safe” Agenda Before Trump Inauguration

Throughout this year’s presidential campaign, Governor Rauner never officially endorsed Donald Trump as the Republican nominee, and did not attend the Republican National Convention. Less than forty percent of Illinois voters supported Mr. Trump, a clear rejection of his anti-immigrant proposals. Now, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) members are calling on Governor Rauner to listen to his state’s voters, reject the President-elect’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies, and use his executive authority and leadership to actively advance protections for immigrants before Mr. Trump is inaugurated on January 20, 2017. ICIRR members established an “Illinois Is Safe” agenda for Illinois. The Coalition is calling on the Governor to take the following actions immediately as the General Assembly reconvenes for its veto session this week:

Immediately issue an executive order designating public schools and universities “sanctuary spaces” for undocumented individuals in Illinois. Such an order would restrict officers from the Department of Homeland Security from entering “sensitive locations” included schools, places of worship and hospitals. (See https://www.ice.gov/doclib/ero-outreach/pdf/10029.2-policy.pdf)

Endorse and encourage support for House passage of the Student Access Bill (SB 2196) and sign the bill when it reaches his desk. The bill provides legal authority to four-year public universities in Illinois to provide financial aid to undocumented students who enroll at their institutions. This bill addresses educational access, a centerpiece issue of his administration. SB 2196 passed out of the Senate, and is expected to come up for a vote during veto session in the House.

Use his national leadership within the Republican Party to call on President-elect Trump to maintain the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order. DACA protects over 740,000 young people from deportation, including over 41,000 in Illinois with many more immigrants eligible for the program who have yet to apply. DACA grants recipients work permits and allows them to contribute to the country’s tax base. Studies have concluded that the DACA program would increase the country’s Gross Domestic Product by hundreds of billions of dollars. The Social Security Administration has estimated that the program would increase tax revenue by billions of dollars. The policy is good for Illinois’ residents and economy.